Bio-ethanol Derivation from Energy Crop in Nigeria: A Path to Food Scarcity or Bio-fuel Advancement

Abstract

Nigeria's commitment to bio fuel development under the Kyoto Treaty has put an upward pressure on agricultural prices in the past decade. The government effort to blend bio-ethanol (E20) with the petroleum product for transportation sector failed in 2008, resulting into mass car engine damage. Recently the government reduced its target of 20% ethanol blend (E20) to 10% percent ethanol blend (E10). This paper examies the feasibility of bio-ethanol derivation from staple crops like cassava, sugarcane and sorghum without creating food crises in the country. The paper finds that while there is a target of 1.27 billion litres of ethanol per year to be blended with petroleum, the goverment and its investors are doing little to prevent food scarcity. The current price hikes of agricultural produce especially; sugarcane, cassava and sweet sorgum (cassava and sorgum being major food for the masses) indicates a threaten to food security at the expense of a technology that is not ripe for use in a country like Nigeria. The fossil fuel price fluctuation serves as a good reason to divert to biomass energy sources but, caution is needed to avoid food scaricity that can be at the detriment of a sustainable life. The paper finds that sugarcane, cassava and sorgum based ethanol could make an important contribution to substituting (or blend) for a portion of petroleum but at a risk of food scarcity.